Autor's Note: This is another love/hate chapter. On one hand, it's got a couple funny Erik/Miranda moments and has more of Moira, which is never a bad thing. On the other hand, I'm not crazy about the two new character introductions. I tried to figure out a way that certain scenes could occur later on without the two new characters, but I realized that if I want the sequel the way it's being set up, I do need to introduce these two sooner rather than later.
And yes, there is a sequel in the works. I've decided that I'm enjoying this universe too much to pack it up once First Class ends. This won't be the end of Miranda and Erik.
But make no mistake: this story's focus is on Erik and Miranda. The other characters play supporting roles (some more than others, such as Moira, Raven, Charles, Daniel, etc), but others do have their part to play. So there is a reason for my introducing two new characters. It may not be clear now, but it will be clear soon enough.
But anyway, away from that.
So within an hour I'll be in the great outdoors. Wish me luck. I just found out we're going to a place that is unofficially the Pine Tree Capital of the State. I'm allergic to pine. I wish my friend would have remembered that...
I do not own X-Men. :( I so wish I did. But I don't. No use crying over spilled milk, so I'll settle for writing fanfic about it.
So yeah, please review, so I have something nice to come home to. :) Don't get me wrong, camping should be a blast... but the pine trees won't be. Hope you all enjoy.
Turning Tables
Erik glared at her. "You haven't even heard my plan yet." "I don't need to. It involves boats and a sociopathic doctor. It won't end well." With a partner in his vendetta against Shaw, Erik Lensherr thought things would change. He was right. Erik/OC
Chapter 11
Baltimore, Maryland
1962
"I'm not going into the strip club."
"There's a mutant in there."
"I'm not going into the strip club."
"Miranda, we don't have a choice."
"Oh, don't act like you're not completely enjoying the fact that the first mutant is in a strip club!"
"Seriously, Miranda! We don't have a choice here!"
If he was asked, Charles would say that Miranda had a right to be angry at Erik for almost leaving. However, she had remained calm while they were at the base. She had been friendly to him even. That afternoon, however, when the three of them had left the research base to find the first few mutants whose locations they had, Miranda had completely blown up at Erik.
It had not been a pretty experience.
For hours, the car had been completely silent, with Erik scowling in the front seat and Miranda glaring through the window of the backseat. Every now and again, she launched a harsh kick into the back of Erik's seat, causing him to roll his eyes and scowl further.
Charles had a new appreciation for any parent with two or more children.
And now, after hours of being stuck in the car, the partners' tempers had finally reached the breaking point. If he had to find the exact point, Charles would guess that it came when they realized that the coordinates of the first mutant pointed directly to a strip club.
Hence why the three now stood on the sidewalk outside, Erik and Miranda facing each other, angry green and enraged blue eyes meeting, scowls apparent on their faces even in the dim light of the streets. Neither seemed inclined to back down at any point.
Finally frustrated beyond what he thought was possible, Charles rolled his eyes before stepping between the arguing partners. "Alright, you don't need to come into the strip club," he said to Miranda, easily stepping into the role of peacemaker. He pointed down the road. "There's a diner down there. Get yourself some dinner, Erik and I will get the mutant, we'll get out, and we'll continue to the next one. She's in this town as well. She shouldn't be that hard to find."
Miranda considered the proposition for a moment, her glare remaining on Erik. "Fine," she finally agreed. She turned her gaze to Charles, and raised an eyebrow as she waited for a few moments.
Charles rolled his eyes before pulling out several crisp bills out of his pocket. "You are far too much like Raven for my comfort," he told her.
She smirked. "Thanks, Charles." Miranda shot one last glare to Erik before turning away, heading down the street towards the diner.
Charles frowned for a moment before calling out, "Get something for us and the new recruit!"
"Maybe!" Miranda called back. Erik and Charles could distinctly hear her laughing as she walked away.
Charles sighed. "She's not going to get something for us, is she?" he asked dryly, glancing at Erik.
"No. She'll get something for herself, you and the recruit, and make sure I get nothing." Erik smirked down at Charles before adding, "Just you wait. She'll hold this over my head for a long time."
"I'm sure you're exaggerating," Charles said as the two stepped towards the entrance of the strip club. "She wouldn't hold a grudge like that for long, would she?" Charles frowned and turned around when Erik stopped in his tracks.
Erik shot Charles an amazed look. "Charles," he said slowly, speaking as one would to a small child. "Miranda has been hunting her husband's killer for nearly four years. She has traveled to globe searching for that man, and was doing so alone for two years. And you're telling me that she won't hold a grudge for my near departure?"
Charles thought for a moment, and then patted Erik's shoulder. "I wish you luck," he replied, entering the club.
Erik rolled his eyes before following the telepath.
"So you haven't found anything yet?"
"Nothing."
Miranda leaned against the wall of the building as she held the payphone to her ear. "I'm not going to be surprised if we don't find anything," Miranda admitted. "But Moira, I do appreciate you looking."
"It's not a problem," Moira assured over the phone, her voice warm though slightly tired. "It's not like I have anything better to do right now. But so far, there hasn't been anything for David Hanson."
Miranda frowned. "Wait, no, it wouldn't be under David Hanson. It would be under David Holloway."
"Wait, Hanson is your maiden name?" Moira asked, her tone completely surprised.
Miranda cracked a smile. "Technically, I'm still legally Miranda Holloway. When I went after Shaw, I started going by my maiden name. If Shaw heard that a girl named Miranda Hanson was going after him, he might be confused about who I was…" Miranda chuckled.
"But if he heard that Miranda Holloway was going after him, he'd immediately know it was you," Moira finished. She sounded faintly impressed. Miranda heard a sigh over the line. "I'll look again under Holloway. How are things going on your end?"
"Charles and Erik are getting the first mutant," Miranda explained. She took a glance up and down the street. "After we get the first one, we'll find the second one and come back in a day or two. According to Charles, they're both girls, so if you guys could get a room ready for them…"
"Not a problem," Moira replied.
Miranda grinned. "Thanks, Moira. You're amazing."
"Anytime. We'll see you guys when you get back. Tell Charles that Raven is fine, and that I didn't catch her kissing Hank in Cerebro…"
Miranda laughed. "Will do. See you soon."
Miranda hung up the phone and sighed. She bit her lip as a hand raced through her brown hair. She didn't know why looking for David in the CIA files was a good idea. But for Miranda, it was doing something to try and find Daniel. When she had been looking for Shaw, it had been to kill him.
Now, finding Shaw meant finding Daniel.
She wouldn't fail this time.
About twenty minutes later, in the nearly empty diner, Miranda sighed as she sat down, rubbing her temples. She had been calm when talking to Moira, but after she had been left to her silence, Miranda had a chance to muse over her situation with Erik. She was still beyond furious with him for even thinking about leaving without her. They'd been partners for over two years, and this was how he treated her? She had already blown up at him earlier, and if it wasn't for Charles, Miranda would probably still screaming at Erik.
Her partner was an idiot.
Miranda's thoughts were interrupted as a voice broke in. "Hi, I'm Caroline, what can I get you?" Miranda looked up to see a young brunette girl with bushy hair and light blue eyes. In her hands was a tablet of paper, and as Miranda watched, the waitress removed a pencil from behind her ear and held it in her hand, waiting patiently for Miranda to answer.
"A suitably decent serving of revenge against my idiot partner," muttered Miranda, not thinking about her words before she spoke them. She froze suddenly as she realized what she had just said, and then looked up, cringing at the waitress.
To her credit, the waitress didn't blink. She merely gave an understanding smile. "Let me guess. Men trouble?" she asked, staring down sympathetically at her.
Miranda frowned back as she considered those words. "It's complicated," she replied, shaking her head.
"Life usually is," Caroline replied, chuckling slightly to herself. "Can I get you anything to drink for now?"
"Could I have a cola please?" Miranda asked, unable to think of what else she wanted.
Caroline nodded, slipping her paper tablet back into her pocket. "Coming right up."
Caroline walked away, and Miranda sighed before putting her head in her hands. She knew that finding these mutants was important, and that Erik was an important part to that task. That didn't mean that Miranda's desire to strangle Erik was any less potent. But for now, she was still mad at him, even though she knew she shouldn't be.
He had actually almost left with her.
Okay, now she was back to be absolutely furious with him.
She groaned. "Erik Lensherr, I swear, someday I'm going to kill you," Miranda muttered to herself, knowing in the back of her mind, if it ever came down to that point, she would never be able to do it.
She looked up as Caroline approached again, holding the cola. "Here you go-" the waitress said as she began to place it on the table.
What happened next surprised them both. Caroline's entire arm disappeared, and the cup fell to the table, splashing the cola all over the table and Miranda. Miranda's green eyes widened in shock as she stared at the missing arm, and Caroline gasped sharply, her face losing all blood in a matter of seconds.
"Not now, oh God, not now!" Caroline whimpered, her body shaking.
"Oh my God," whispered Miranda. She watched in amazement as Caroline's arm reappeared. "You're a mutant. You're the other one!"
"I'm a what!" demanded a frightened Caroline, trying to clean up the mess with a cloth. Her hand was shaking as if in an earthquake, and her blue eyes were terrified. She looked as though she was going to burst into tears. "Look, please, you can't tell anyone, please, I'm begging you-"
Miranda, are you at the diner?
Miranda hissed as her hand flew to her temple. Caroline's words stopped instantly as she stared at Miranda. She stood next to the table, the wet rag in her hands and fear in her eyes as her whole body trembled. She gulped and back away, but Miranda shook her head and gestured for her to stay. Caroline swallowed again, but remained nearby.
Charles! Give me a warning before you do that.
My apologies, but it appears as though luck is on our side tonight. We have the new mutant - Angel - and we're coming to the diner. I picked up the other mutant's name. Caroline. I think she's at the diner. Do you see her anywhere?
Miranda's eyes immediately went to Caroline, who stood frozen in front of her, eyes wide. The poor girl, who Miranda realized couldn't be more than eighteen years old, looked like she was much closer to bursting into tears than she had been a few seconds ago. Miranda took her hand, and then pulled her into the seat next to her.
"Look," Miranda said gently, forcing Caroline to look her in the eyes. "This is not a curse. Your powers are a gift, and right now, you have a choice. I can tell my friends that I didn't find you, and you can go on with your life. Or, if you want, I can tell them you're here and want to hear what he has to say." Miranda let go of her arm, and give Caroline a sympathetic smile. "What's it going to be?"
Caroline hesitated for a second, looking at her arm for a second. After a moment, she turned to look at Miranda. "Can he help me control it?" she asked, her voice a fragile whisper.
Miranda nodded calmly. "I think he could. And whether he can or can't, I'll help you in any way that I can."
Caroline nodded before swallowing heavily. "I want to talk to him."
Miranda smiled.
She's here, Charles. C'mon over. She wants to hear what you have to say.
New York City, New York
1962
It had taken a ridiculous amount of time to find the right taxi driver. Out of the admittedly few mutants they had found so far, Charles knew that Armando Muñoz had been by far the hardest one to find. No wonder Erik had looked like he was ready to kill someone by the time they actually found the right cab and the right driver.
"Where to fellas?" Armando asked pleasantly as Charles and Erik got into the back. Charles could sense instantly that they had finally found the right driver, and he gave a relieved smirk.
"Richmond, Virginia, please," Erik said, glancing at Charles to confirm that they had finally found the right person.
"Right," Armando said slowly, frowning at them in the mirror. "So, you want the airport, the station…"
"No," Charles corrected, shaking his head with a small smile. "We were rather hoping you would take us all the way."
Armando shot them a surprised look. "That's a six hour drive," he warned them, still watching them through the mirror.
Erik smiled. "That will give us plenty of time to talk."
Erik's gaze went to the front of the cab. He flicked his hand, and the reader in the front flipped down to stop the fare from going up. Armando froze for a second, his gaze turning down to the front of his cab before going back to Erik and Charles.
Charles looked at Erik in a half-scolding manner. "I think that's too much too soon."
Erik shrugged off his friend's words. "Whatever works."
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1962
"What the hell does the government want with Alex Summers?"
As she walked down the hallway of the prison, Miranda gave a careless shrug. "I just go where they tell me," she explained to the prison warden as they headed down the hallways to what she knew was solitary confinement. "I know just as much as you do."
The man gave a worried frown as they stopped outside a door. "Well, I hope you're not planning on putting him with others," he warned as he set his hand on the door handle.
Miranda's frown deepened. "Why's that?" she asked, starting to dread her first meeting with Alex.
"He's weird," the warden said, after a few moments of thought. "First guy I've ever met who actually prefers solitary confinement."
Miranda gave a tense smile. "Well, he won't be alone for long. I need to talk to him privately." She tapped her hand on the metal door. "In here will be fine. Just close the door behind me."
The warden shot her a look that clearly said he thought she was crazy. "You sure about that?" he asked slowly. "He's not a weakling, ma'am, and he is pretty dangerous…"
Miranda's smile turned a bit more strained at the man's expected, but still infuriating attitude. "I think I can handle myself," she replied, raising an eyebrow at the man. "Now please, open the door. I don't think this conversation will take long."
The man sighed before opening the door, taking a few steps back. "He's all yours."
Miranda nodded. "Thank you." She took a few steps into the cell, and shot a warm smile to the blond haired young man sitting in the back of the cell for what seemed to serve as a bed. Miranda waited until the door closed behind her before saying something. "Hello, Alex."
He frowned at her suspiciously, and Miranda felt a pang when she realized that Alex couldn't be twenty years old. For a moment, she tried to remember what the file they had found on him said. And then she remembered. Alex was nineteen years old. He was way too young to be in solitary confinement, but if Miranda's suspicions about why he preferred it were true, he was much more mature than his age would suggest.
"Who are you?" Alex asked, frowning suspiciously at her.
Miranda smiled. "Your chance to learn how to control the power you have," she replied, crossing her arms and waiting for his reply.
Alex raised an eyebrow, and his face seemed to pale. "How do you-"
Miranda held up her arm, and pulled down the sleeve of her long blouse. Immediately, the electric blue glove charged and settled on his hand. "You're not the only one in this world with powers," she explained as she saw the amazement on her face. She sighed as she discharged her hand, the blue glove disappearing. "Look, just hear me out, okay. This is your choice completely, but… I think you'll want to hear what I say."
"Why's that?" Alex asked.
Miranda smiled sadly. "Because I can both get you out of here and get you with people who can understand and help you control your powers."
Alex hesitated for a few moments, and Miranda watched as conflicting emotions crossed his face. For a few moments, a tense silence existed between them, Miranda watching Alex and Alex watching the ground. Finally, after more of the heavy silence, Alex looked up, his face emotionless.
"I'm listening."
Boston, Massachusetts
1962
"Crazy huh?"
The aquarium was mostly empty right now. The blond haired teenage girl frowned as the words broke the tranquil silence of the observation room. She had actually been enjoying that silence, and she had no idea who had broken it. She turned to her left, a bit surprised to see a red-haired teenager about her age standing next to her, watching the clownfish in the tank in front of them.
"What?" she asked, frowning at him.
"You like fish, I like fish, too." The red haired looked down at her with a charming smile. "Maybe we should get a bite sometime. Talk about it." He waited for her reply with a hopeful look on his face.
She pretended to think about it for a moment before shooting a look up at him. "I'd rather go out with the fish."
With those words, she turned around. The red haired teenager smirked as he watched her take a few steps away. He turned back to the fish tank with a grin before opening his mouth. A muffled screech came out, shooting through the glass and hitting the fish. The orange fish scattered around instantly, hiding in the corners of the tank until none were visible from where either of them were standing.
"These fish?" the red head asked, turning around to watch the blonde.
She turned around, and blinked in surprise when she saw that every fish that had been swimming around a few minutes ago had disappeared. For a moment, she felt almost angry, and several bubbles appeared in the water, floating to the top of the tank before popping.. She shot a forbidding look at him before turning around and leaving the room. The red haired boy sighed before turning back to the tank.
The blonde continued out, not looking at a group of three coming towards the room just as she was leaving. She accidentally bumped into the sole female of the group, muttered a hurried "excuse me", and hurried to the exit. The trio exchanged looks, looking from where the blond was exiting to where the red head was standing.
"Why do I have a feeling that we've found our mutants?" Erik asked, frowning slightly.
Ignoring her partner, Miranda looked at Charles. "That's Katie?" she asked, pointing to where the blonde was walking towards the exit of the aquarium. She disappeared from view as she walked out the door, and Miranda's frown deepened when she realized that finding her might have just become a bit harder.
Charles chuckled. "That's Katie." Charles gestured towards where the red head was still standing. "We can take Sean. She's all yours."
Miranda rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Charles." She slapped Erik's arm as she passed him, making her way towards the exit as she followed Katie.
Erik shot a glare towards her retreating back before turning to Charles, and just before she made her exit, Miranda turned around and smirked over at Erik. The taller man rolled his eyes as she disappeared, shaking his head out of both frustration and perhaps a bit of amusement.
Charles chuckled to himself before glancing back in towards where a tall, red haired teenager was standing in front of a tank. "She's still mad at you?" he asked.
"Of course," Erik muttered. He shot him a look. "Still think she won't hold a grudge?"
Charles chuckled. "I stand corrected," he admitted, looking as though he did not care at all that he had just admitted he was wrong.
Hartford, Connecticut
1962
"Wait, Moira, slow down!"
That night, Miranda stood at a phone booth outside the motel they had decided to stop in for the night. This recruitment trip had been highly successful, with Sean Cassidy and Katie Ellison, both of Boston, agreeing to join the new mutant division. Talking to the parents had been interesting to say the least, but at least they had the kids with them.
"Miranda, you need to get back here. Now."
Miranda frowned. "Why?" she asked, puzzled. She froze as horror and anxiety stepped in. "Oh, God, Moira, is something wrong with one of the others? Caroline, Alex? Armando or Angel? Hank? Oh, God, if it's Raven, Charles is going to freak…"
"It's not about them!" Moira exclaimed. She sounded both excited and a little worried. "I found a file on David."
Miranda froze. "You're kidding me." She took a deep breath. "Moira, what does it say?"
Moira hesitated for a second. "You're going to be surprised. And you are not going to like it."
"Try me."
There was silence for a few moments. Just as Miranda began to wonder if the phone call had been disconnected, Moira finally replied. Later in life, Miranda would realize that nothing could have ever prepared her for what Moira said next. It was one of the least likely things she could have imagined.
And yet, another piece of the puzzle that had been David Holloway fell into place.
"David was working with the Agent when he died. He was a member of the CIA, Miranda… and I think Shaw killed him because of that."
